


An evening at the Black Needle

by Ertal77



Series: Noiz Week [6]
Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Friendship, M/M, noizweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-04-05 10:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4177155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ertal77/pseuds/Ertal77
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>...And this is how friends comfort each other.</p><p>For NoizWeek Day 6, Prompt: Friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An evening at the Black Needle

**Author's Note:**

> The other ficlets of this series can be read as a standalone, more or less, but this one is a link ficlet, so it won't make much sense if you haven't followed the story.
> 
> You can expect an E rated Day 7 tonight or tomorrow ;)

The Black Needle was an interesting place. It was supposed to be a tattoo parlour, and that was the function it had during most of the day time. But in the evenings the customers tended to head to the small bar counter on the right of the shop, so Mizuki and his shop partner doubled as bartenders, and come eight in the evening the tattoo parlour part of the business was definitely closed, as none of the tattooists were able to hold an ink needle with a steady hand past that hour.

When Noiz popped by that Friday evening, Mizuki was tending the bar counter, and judging by how high he was laughing and the flush of his cheeks, he had already drunk almost as much as his customers. Noiz smiled and looked for the rest of his friends, as there was no sign of a mop of blue hair. Clearly, he had come too early, because only Koujaku was already there. Sighing, Noiz approached the counter and leaned beside the hairdresser.

“Hey”, he greeted him.

Koujaku turned to look at him, frowning slightly, as every single time they met.

“Brat. Are you coming alone?”

“Yes. I guess the others won’t take long.”

He waved at Mizuki, who came to high-five him as soon as he was free.

“Noiz, mate! Good to see you! Aoba isn’t coming with you?”

“No, he told me to meet here. He will come after having dinner with his granny.”

“Ah, right! And… how are things going with him?”

Mizuki winked at him, but then someone called him from the other side of the counter and he left to attend the customer. Koujaku’s frown had grown deeper, and he threw a suspicious look at Noiz.

“What was that about? Why did he ask you that?”

Noiz huffed and passed to the other side of the counter. He opened the fridge and took a beer out.

“Mizuki, I’m having a beer!”

The bartender gave him a thumbs up and kept talking with other customers. Noiz opened the bottle and came back to Koujaku’s side. Just looking at his face made him feel uncomfortable. So much for Aoba’s great plan of waiting until everybody figured their relation out. Someone was obviously being obtuse on purpose.

“I told you you were losing the competition, mate”, he said at last.

“What does that mean?” Koujaku’s voice was guarded.

“It means… what you think it means. Don’t make me spell it for you.”

And for once in his life Noiz avoided Koujaku’s eyes, uncomfortable. Koujaku’s voice thundered by his side.

“Mizuki!! Come here right now!” The bartender walked closer, grinning. “Did you know… did you know that Aoba and the brat were together?”

Mizuki’s smile faltered and he composed a grave face.

“Yes, I know, like everyone else. I’m sorry, mate, but you know how things are in love matters: sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”

“You… also knew that?”

Mizuki bit his lower lip in order to suppress a grin.

“Of course, I’m not blind! I don’t think there’s still a living person who didn’t know how infatuated you are about Aoba… Well, except perhaps Aoba himself. Sorry again, mate.”

He patted Koujaku on the shoulder and turned to attend the bar again. The hairdresser looked so miserable that Noiz pitied him.

“I had a suspicion about you two, but I thought… Aoba has always been so oblivious around me… that perhaps it would be like that with everybody else.”

“Perhaps you should have had the guts to confess or something. You had _years_ before I appeared.”

Koujaku covered his face with his hands.

“Oh, god. And besides, everybody knows! This is so embarrassing. What I am going to do now?”

Noiz sighed and walked around the counter again. He took a whisky bottle from the shelves and a couple of low glasses. He waved Mizuki to show him, and the tattooist nodded.

“You are going to do the same you have been doing until now”, Noiz stated, opening the bottle and pouring two whisky shots. “You work as a hairdresser, you flirt with every girl within your sight, you go out with Clear, Mink, Mizuki, Aoba and me, and Aoba keeps being your bestie. Doesn’t sound bad to me. Now drink!”

They drank their shots in a single gulp, finishing with a loud “ _Aaaah!_ ” and wiping their mouths. Mizuki hurried to meet them with an empty glass in his hand.

“Oh, you have started without me! Pour again, Noiz. In fact, I know a drinking game that could come handy…”

In fact, as Noiz and Koujaku were already aware of, Mizuki knew a wide selection of drinking games. Clear and Mink appeared a while later and joined, and by the time Aoba finally arrived, an hour later, he found a very drank Koujaku hugging a not less inebriated Noiz and assuring Aoba that Noiz was from then on his best friend forever, after Aoba, of course. Puzzled, he looked at his boyfriend in search of an explanation, but the boy seemed only able to giggle. He had the slightly annoying feeling of being the only one left out in a conspiracy, but given that everybody seemed to be having a good time, and for once Noiz and Koujaku weren’t throwing daggers at each other, who was him to spoil the mood?

He took an empty glass, poured himself a whisky shot, and let Clear give him a bear hug.

 


End file.
